Richard
This high temp reading the other day was very weird. No problem today. I
did have to adjust my timing since it wasn't even close. All other areas
you mentioned checked out except, I didn't check the stabilizer. Could it
be a coincidence that after spraying water in the engine compartment, that I
get a high reading on the temp gauge?
Another question for you: Has anyone installed a oil pressure gauge and/or
a voltage gauge in their Spit? If so, where did you put them? I was
thinking about installing them where the radio is now. Any thoughts?
Bob
76 Spitfire, Fla.
-----Original Message-----
From: Richard B Gosling [mailto:Gosling_Richard_B@perkins.com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2000 6:08 AM
To: bkaufman; spitfires
Subject: Re: Question from a new owner
Bob,
There are a number of things that could cause a high temperature reading -
check each until you have a solution:
Dodgy voltage stabiliser - this is a little box, that should be hanging off
the
back of your speedometer. Its job is to take the rather variable 11-14
volts
from the battery, and give a stable 10V for the guages to work off. If it
has
decided to die (as they sometimes do for no good reason), it will give the
full 11-14V from the battery. Test is simple - does your fuel gauge still
read correctly? If this too is high, it is your stabiliser, and it needs
replacing.
Temp gauge sensor - could just have got wet, in which case it will be fine
once
dry. The water will provide an alternative source to ground for the
electrical current - the gauge works by sensing the resistance to ground of
the sensor, which is grounded in its housing, and its resistance varies
with
water temp. It could be totally mis-functional, but in that case I would
expect you to get no reading at all.
That's it for the dodgy reading section. Now for the genuine overheating
section -
Is there enough coolant? You've checked this, the answer is yes, so it's
not
that.
Is it a hot day? This will be enough to cause a Spit to overheat,
particularly
in stop-start traffic, or if driving hard.
Is your fan belt tight enough? If it is even slightly loose, it will turn
the
pump a bit, so some coolant will circulate, but not enough.
Is your thermostat operating correctly? Take it out, and stick it in a pan
of
water, with a thermometer. Slowly heat the water, and check at what
temperature the thermostat opens. I think it should be about 180-190, but
my
memory could be wrong, so someone out there please correct me.
There are no doubt other problems people can add, but I think these are the
most likely.
Getting the ignition system wet is unlikely to cause over-heating - if it
does
anything at all, it will prevent the engine running completely.
It could be your timing - early timing will increase engine temperature.
Worth
checking, but if the problem came on suddenly this is a less likely cause,
as
timing is more likely to go off gradually over time.
Hope this all helps,
Richard & Daffy
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